6 things you don't want to miss at Canada's biggest food festival

If you’re looking for some tasty cuisine in 2017, then don’t miss out on Dine Out Vancouver.

This year’s local food festival is the 15th annual celebration of BC’s regional ingredients and Vancouver’s restaurant scene. More than 280 restaurants have registered to be part of the festival, and many offer prix fixe menus so you can try Vancouver’s culinary talent at a reasonable price.

But that’s not the only reason you should be heading to Dine Out Vancouver. We’ve collected six things you’ll want to sink your teeth into at the Vancouver food festival.

Craft beer and tacos tour

When: January 20 to 22, 26 to 28, February 2 to 4Time: 4 to 7:30 pmWhere: Meet at Waterfont Station, 601 West Cordova StreetPrice: $98.25

Vancouver Brewery Tours created this explosion of culinary and craft perfection. The craft beer and tacos tour will depart from Waterfront station and take you to two of Vancouver’s best known breweries: Big Rock Urban Brewery and Strathcona Beer Co. After getting a behind-the-scenes tour at each and sampling a number of their beers, you’ll be taken to Tacofino to satiate your hunger with a sit-down meal of tacos along with more craft beer.

Club Amuse-bouche Collection

When: January 20 to February 5Where: Varies depending on the packagePrice: Varies depending on the package

If you’re not a local and heading to Dine Out Vancouver, you’ll want to try one of these three packages. Each package includes accommodations and a special culinary perk. The Night of Whiskey business package offers a one-night stay at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, along with a cocktail class and reception, as well as a whiskey-themed dinner. The Shop Like a Chef package gives you a two-night stay at the Fairmont Waterfront, and also gives you a personalized lunch, private breakfast, and shopping tour with Executive Chef Karan Suri. There’s also Opus Vancouver’s package, which offers a private cooking lesson with Chef Travis McCord and a private lunch.

Gastown brunch crawl

There’s nothing more Vancouver than brunch, so why not take a tour of all the best places? On January 21 you can taste everything Gastown has to offer, but Dine Out Vancouver also showcases brunch in other parts of the city. On January 22, head over to Kitsilano, or maybe try the East Village on January 28. Yaletown’s tour is happening on January 29, and in February you can taste test Robson on the 4th and Commercial Drive on the 5th.

Tasters, tapas, and talent

Belmont Bar’s Tasters, Tapas, and Talent is a 1930s-inspired venue that brings together craft beer tasting and delicious tapas for a night on the town. The bar will feature live music from local musicians – keeping the night classy and fun, but low-key so you can enjoy yourself with beer and conversation.

Lunar New Year dinner

Bring in the year of the rooster at Heritage Asian Eatery. For one night, the eatery will transform into an intimate family dining room to celebrate the start of the new year. Guests will get to try out a 10-course Asian-inspired menu that includes dishes like pork consommé, deep fried scallop and prawn spring rolls, roasted lingcod with ginger scallion sauce, and Chinese coconut mochi. All guests will also receive a special gift in a lucky red envelope.

It wouldn’t be a festival without food trucks. From Indian and Mexican food to pizza and grilled cheese, Street Food City VI has all the street food you could possibly want on a cold Vancouver day. Last year more than 20,000 people visited the food trucks, and this year the trucks have moved to an even more desirable location – meaning you’ll want to grab some food before it’s gone.

Although these events are guaranteed to make your mouth water, they aren’t the only things going on at Dine Out Vancouver.

For the second year in a row, the festival is hosting the Chef Soup Experiment in partnership with United Way – an event that gives student chefs the opportunity to create an interesting soup, providing donations to help kids get access to nutritious food. There’s also an Ocean Wise pop up restaurant at the Vancouver Aquarium, a speakeasy-themed Secret Supper Soiree, and a Vancouver Coffee Tour.